Many of you should be writing (not just reading) BECAUSE of how much you read!! Writing and reading can compliment each other. One can enrich the other.

I know this is a reading sub, but it’s precisely because of how much you read that I believe we need to say this. Now hear me out. I’ve self-published 3 novels (fantasy genre) on amazon. One did somewhat well due to some lucky viral marketing. But even that one that did well, on a per hour basis, I made something like $8 an hour. In total it made like $5,000, but the other 2 made essentially nothing.

I used to think the goal was simply to become famous, or to make enough to write full time, or to become wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with those goals, although they’re statistically very unlikely. Because of that, writing lost much of its appeal because of my perceived failure in my first 3 outings. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized writing itself is a powerful and cathartic process. Even though I didn’t hit my goals, I’m so happy my family, my kids, hopefully my grandkids, will always have that enduring piece of myself available.

Many of you have read so much, you’ve likely already developed a very competent internal voice that could tell powerful, personal stories. I think acknowledging the goal is likely not monetary in nature, and that the writing itself is the goal, can lead to creating something beautiful.

I’m not saying reading without practicing writing automatically makes you a great writer. But who cares where you are. You can create something beautiful for you and for those you love. If you’ve been on the fence about dipping your toe into the writing world, I cannot recommend it enough.

by baronjeric05